Myanmar's military leader says the country will hold a general election in either December of this year, or January next year.



State-run TV reported that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said the election will be "free and fair." This is the first time he has specified its timeframe.



The report said he made the announcement at a news conference on Friday, after meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the capital Minsk.



The military staged a coup in 2021, claiming there were irregularities in the previous year's general election. It also detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.



Intense fighting continues mainly in border areas between Myanmar's military and pro-democracy forces, which consider a general election planned by the military "illegal and fraudulent."